View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Sunday 8 May 2011

Sunday 8 May

The day started wet and windy, but cleared to a beautiful evening. As I type this, at 11.30pm, the light lingers in the northwest. We are now on the home straight to the longest day, which will see sunset at 10.35pm and daylight lingering through the 'night'.

Over the past week, I have downloaded several dozen articles from 19th century newspapers, and I'm currently transcribing and researching these. The first ones had to do with the Napier Report (which I've been working on for the past 10 months or so), but the third one went all the way back to 1812, to the time of the Mackenzies of Seaforth. They were not blessed, as the Deaf Mackenzie's four sons all pre-deceased him. The magnificent party for William Mackenzie, described in the Caledonian Mercury of 1 August 1812, was to be followed by the young man's funeral within about 2 years.

This afternoon, I watched the film Fiddler on the Roof, starring Topol. It was broadcast on ITV3. The music is very well known to me, but the film has quite a sad ending. Even more so, because the people that were turned out of their villages in the Russia of the early 20th century ended up on emigrant ships, bound for America - one of which (the SS Norge) foundered off Rockall in 1904, drowning 700.

2 comments:

  1. Lovely new pic. Can't say I've ever seen Fiddler.....'twas always the way of immigrant ships to have problems, though!

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  2. I know you enjoy the research! I've never seen Fiddler on the Roof. I think there are several versions. I need to see some happy movies! You need to see "What's up Doc?"...have you seen it? An American film, I think with Barbara Streisand! Laughter at its best! It was a 1970's movie! We watched it recently and laughed til tears fell!
    Take care, Guido. I love that surf pic as the blog topper!

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